NHL Friday Betting Preview: Garden Party
Rangers, Wild (and Lundqvist) Ready to Raise the Roof
This weekend (18 total games) is filled nearly to the brim so Friday’s schedule is a little lighter than usual across the NHL. A bunch of top contenders are in action, still, but the slate is highlighted by one game in particular: The Minnesota Wild’s visit to the New York Rangers.
Both teams have been big surprises so the action should be great even if what’s happening off the ice — Rangers legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist will have his jersey retired — might overshadow the game itself.
Anyway, let’s go through each of Friday’s five games with an eye to the NHL betting lines:
Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins will be playing angry against the Red Wings after they let a lead slip away late in the third period against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday and lost 2-1 in overtime, snapping a six-game overall winning streak and eight-game home winning streak. Tristan Jarry played well, as usual, saving 27 of 29 shots, and since he routinely starts both ends of back-to-backs, he should be in net again.
If you’re betting online, you should take the Penguins, who have lost just three games since Dec. 1. That is doubly so against Detroit, which has lost three games in a row and is in the midst of a 2-4-3 funk. The Red Wings have also been particularly bad on the road (5-12-3), and starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is coming off two subpar outings.
Minnesota Wild at New York Rangers
It will be an emotional night at Madison Square Garden as Lundqvist’s jersey is raised to the rafters so it could be tough for New York to focus on hockey. If the Rangers aren’t locked in, though, they could get blown out. The Wild have won three straight games (and six of seven) and have been among the biggest overperformers in the NHL.
Kirill Kaprizov has developed into a full-fledged star while former Ranger and longtime Lundqvist teammate Mats Zuccarello is having a career year at age 34. The Wild are just a really good all-around team and they probably should be bigger favorites, considering that the Rangers played (and lost) at Columbus on Thursday. Minnesota is a good value play with the rest advantage, even with goalie Igor Shesterkin starting for New York after a rare night off.
Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago snapped a four-game skid with a huge 8-5 win over the Red Wings on Wednesday, but the Blackhawks’ good vibes might be short-lived with the scorching-hot Avalanche in town. Colorado finished off a perfect homestand on Wednesday with a comeback overtime win over the Boston Bruins. But, it was a victory that came at a cost as Nathan MacKinnon left the game early with a broken nose sustained on a hard hit by Boston’s Taylor Hall.
There was some relief for Colorado that the injury wasn’t more serious, yet MacKinnon will still be out for some time as he recovers. It’s obviously a big blow for an Avalanche team that has been firing on all cylinders, but it’s an absence they can withstand because of their depth and top-end firepower — even without MacKinnon.
It’s definitely a potential letdown spot for the Avalanche, who are riding an eight-game winning streak and have won 13 of 14. Colorado isn’t as big a favorite as usual, if you want the Avalanche at a relatively cheap price, this is the game for that.
Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars
The Stars’ main problem all season was that they could only win at home and were terrible on the road. After sweeping a four-game road trip, Dallas opens up a six-game homestand against the scuffling Capitals. Dallas is 14-4-1 at home , one of the best records in the NHL. The Stars have a good shot at improving it against Washington, which is 3-6-2 in January.
Dallas is slight favorites on the BetUS sportsbook. The goaltending matchup isn’t set but Vitek Vanecek will probably go for Peter Laviolette’s team and former Capital Braden Holtby — who has won his last three starts — likely will get the start for the Stars.
Boston Bruins at Arizona Coyotes
Boston blew a very winnable game against Colorado on Wednesday, giving away a 3-1 third-period lead en route to a tough overtime loss. The Bruins, losers of two in a row, should be able to stop the bleeding against the Coyotes, who lost the last three games of their East Coast swing and gave up 17 goals in those contests.
Tuukka Rask has been a little shaky in his recent appearances but that’s to be expected after his long layoff. Karel Vejmelka has shown promise for Arizona. However, he’s often barraged by shots because he doesn’t get a ton of help from his skaters. Boston should be able to have lots of high-quality chances in this one.
